Fluid-engine



2 Sheets-Sheet l,

I. H. SPENCER.

(No Model.)

FLUID ENGINE.

Patented Feb.5,1895.

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Patented Feb. 5, 18,95.

I. E. SPENCER. FLUID ENGINE.

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IRA n. sPEnCER, or HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT.

FLUID-ENGINE.

SPEGI'FICATIGN forming part of ALetters Patent No. 533,616, dated February 5, 1895.

Application filed Tune 20, 1894. Serial No. 5] 5,098. (No model.)

To will whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, IRA H. SPENCER, a citizen of the United Stat-es, residing at Hartford, in the county of Hartford and State of Gonnecticut, have invented certain new and usefnl Improvements in Fluid-Engines, of which the following is a speoitication.

This invention relates to fluid-engines or motors, and especially to Water-engines; the object being to provide a motor of this character in which hammering or pounding ofthe operating parts is prevented, and even and noiseless Working of the piston and valve-operating mechanism assured, under constant or variable conditions of speed or pressure, by a construction having the important characteristics of simplicity, compactness, and readiness of regulation.

In the drawings accompanying and forming a part of this specification, Figure 1 is a plan view of a duid-motor constructed in accordance withl my present invention. Fig. 2 is a side elevation thereof. Fig. 3 is a transverse section in line b-l Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a similar view in line c-c, Fig. 2. Fig. 5 is a central vertical section in line d-d, Fig. l, showing the piston rising at the beginning of a stroke. Fig. 6 is a similar view, showing the piston descending at the beginning of the opposite stroke. Fig. 7 is a vertical section in line naz-, Fig. 3, showing the auxiliary valve in a position corresponding to Figo. Fig. 8 is a similar View corresponding with Fig. 6. Fig. 9 is a vertical section in line 11j-y, Fig. 3, corresponding to Fig. 5. Fig. 10 is a similar view corresponding to Fig. 6; and Figs. 11, 12 and 13 are transverse sections in line z-z, Fig. 3, showing different positions of the main valve.

Similar characters designate like parts in all the figures.

According to my present invention, I mount the main cylinder B, which 'comprises also a piston and means for connection with the apparatus to be driven, upon a bed-plate, O, which also forms one of the heads of the cylinder, the other or upper head being designated in a general Way by D. The piston 2, mounted Within this cylinder in the usual manner, is actuated by a piston-rod, 3, passing through the head D, and surrounded by packing rings, 4, having an adj usting-follower 5. AA. body-portion or casting, designated in a general way by E, is mounted between the heads C and D, and has connection with the upper and lower ends of the cylinder through the short-sections of piping, 6 and 7, opening, respectively, into the channels 8 and 9 in said cross-heads. The vertically -disposed passages or ways 10 and l1, in said casting, are connected With, and in line with, said pipesections, and open into the valve-chest or casing l2, through the ports 13 and 1l. Writhin the main-valve cylinder, 15, formed by this casing, the vertically-disposed piston-valve 16 Works. Within a transverse portion, 17, of the casting E, is a valve-seat, 18, in which the valve 19, controlling the main fluid-supply, is adapted to oscillate. Packing rings, 20, and an adjusting-follower, 2l, are provided to compensate for Wear upon the valves. The stern 22 of this valve is rmly secured to an actuating-link or lever, 23, controlled from the piston-rod 3 by means of the con necting-rod 24, secured to said piston-rod by the collar 25 and the adjusting-screw 25. The supply-pipe 26 enters the casting E at the point 27, and controls the channel or Way, 28, leading to the ports 13 and 14, and also controls the smaller passages or ducts, 38 and 39, leading to an auxiliary valvecasing, 29. Nithin this valve-casing is an auxiliary or starting valve, 30, controlled, through its stem 3l, by the main piston-rod 3. The connection for said valve-stem cornprises a connecting-rod 32, firmly secured to the piston-rod 3, and having a sleeve 33 upon its end, Within which the valve-stem 31 reciprocates. Buier-springs 3l and 35, having adjustable stops, 36 and 37, control the movements of the auxiliary valve 30 and prevent the occurrence of shocks at the end of the movements thereof. A pinor needle-valve, 40", controls the passages or ducts 38 and 39, While a port, 40, also supplied from the main pipe 26, is controlled by a second pinorneedie-valve, 4l. The port L10 opens into the main-valve cylinder 15, and is adapted to continuously supply a small head of Water or other fluid to the way 16 bet-Ween the main valve 16 and its cylinder 15. This head of theV direction of movements of the valve 16,.

themain exhaust being either through ports 13 and 162, bore'163 and port 164, or directly through port 14.

When a supplyof water is admitted through the pipe 26,'a portion of itwill iiow through the seat `28 into `the` way 38, from which itr will pass partly th rough the port 40 and partly through the way 39.' That portion of the ystream which goes hy'way of chan nel 39 will f enter the auxiliary valvecylinder-29, and, in

accordance with the position inv which said auxiliary valve may be` at the time, will ei ther flow through theports 42 and duct 42 into the vertically-disposed channel or 1way43, or

else through said ports and the longitudinal bore 44 of rthe valve, port 45 and theshorter verticallydisposed channel or way 46 in line with the way43, whence the stream will go by wayfof 'ouevof the ports 47 or 4S into the corresponding end of the valve-oylinderV 15.

. As soon as the water enters this cylinder 15,

-f or fall, and ywill gradually vuncoverthe port the'valve 16 will 'move yina correspondingdirection, and will uncover one ofthe ports 13 kor 14 leading into the piston-cylinder B by way of the passages 6 and 8, orf? and 9. As

therpiston 2-will begin to correspondingly rise 49 in the valve 19, whereupon the iow Vof -water into the cylinder will be gradually increased by the corresponding increase of the port-area. As before stated, the uncovering of the port in the valve 19 is effected by means of the link or lever 23, operated from the piston-rod 8 by means of the connecting-rod 24. Vhen the piston 2 reaches the median line of the cylinder, the port Will have been entirely uncovered, as shown in Fig. 12, the link 23 then lying in a horizontal position. It the piston is rising, the further upward movement thereof will gradually decrease the port-area 49 until the port is entirely closed, as shown in Fig. 13. When the end ot' the stroke is reached, the sleeve 33, acting upon the bufferspring 34, will raise the valve-stem 31 and with it the valve 30, thereby reversing the direction of flow of the stream entering the auxiliary-valve cylinder29. The inowingstream will then go by way of the ports 42 and the bore 44 of the valve 30 into the lower end of the cylinder 29, through the port 45, vertical way 46, and port 48 under the lower end of the piston-valve 16, and will raise said valve to the position shown in Fig. 6, cutting off the supply from the port 14 and causing the port 13 to bc uncovered. As soon as the direction of flow into the cylinder B has thus been reversed, the piston 2 will fall gradu- The soon as the water enters this piston-cylinder,

ally, by reason of the dow of the small stream yentering thek port 40into the upper part or the cylinder B through the port 13. At the same time the water above thepiston-valves 16 willy be forced through the port 47, vertical passage 43 and duct 42", into the valve-cylin-y der 29, and through port 50 to the lower part y ,ofY the` cylinder 15, and thence out into the main exhaust 5l. As the piston 2 gradually falls, the port 49 will be uncovered, until the fullfportarea is presented to the head of water entering throughthe main supply chan-g nel 18; and the port, upon the continued fall ef vthe piston, ywillzthen be yas gradually covered again and the portareadiminished until itk reaches zero; the speed of the piston,of

course, correspondinglyand gradually de` creasing untilk the end of its stroke is reached, when the auxiliary valve Willthen be carried 35, from its upper toits lower position, Vand theentering stream will then go through Sok `by the sleeve 33, acting upon the butterspring ports 42, duct 42 and vertical way 43,--to port 47, and into the upper end of the main-valve cylinderl, causing the valve 16 to descend,

olosethe port 13 and uncoverport At the same time the body of water under the piston 1 6 is forced through kport 43, vertical way-46, port 45, cylinder 29 and port 50, back into the cylinder 15 and out through the main exhaust 5l. y

From the foregoing it will he seenthat the beginning of movement of the operating-piston 2 is notidependent uponthe supply ot' Water thereto through the main port 49, but that a fine stream, entering the cylinder 15 through'theport 40, and enteringy the cylinder by way of one of the ports 13 and 14, is sufficient to start the piston, and to carry it in its stroke from one end ot' the cylinder to the other, if necessary, so long as the small head of Water is supplied to the cylinder. It is `not necessary, however, that the entire stroke be edected by the smaller head entering at the port 40, for, when the piston has advanced a certain distance from either cylinder-head, the main port 49 is gradually uncovered by the link 23, and increased pressure applied to the piston to carry it forward to the end of its stroke. It will also be seen that after the maximum speed is attained, the pressure gradually decreases, owing to the correspondingly gradual reduction of the area of the port 49, until the port 49 is entirely closed and the onlyl pressure applied to the piston is the momentary pressure of the smaller head of Water entering through port 40, until the reversal of the main valve 16 by the reversal of the auxiliary valve 30 due to the action of the sleeve 33 upon the bufferspring. It will also be observed that the eX- haust-ports in the main and auxiliary valves are so disposed that there can be no backpressure in the various ways and channels.

A Very perfect control of pressure is obtained by means of the two needle-valves 40 ICC tof

and 41, each independently regulable, acting in conjunction with the port 4-9, automatically regulable from the main piston-rod.

I prefer to cushion the cylinder-heads of the main-piston valve 16, as shown at 52 and 53, in order to prevent shocks upon the main valve. An additional cushioning` effect is also obtained, in connection with the auxiliary valve 30, by means of the adjustable buffer-springs. I also provide valves, 5e and 55, connecting with opposite ends of the main cylinder B, in order to draw off accumulated spent iuid when the motor is not in use.

A very compact, noiseless and easy-running motor is obtained by this construction, entirely automatic in operation, self-adjusting for wear and requiring no attention.

By means of the described organization of cylinders and pistons, valves, main ports, auxiliary ports and means for adjusting the auxiliary ports or passages, I produce a motor of the class specified which is capable of adjustment to operate smoothlyand Without jar or shock at one speed under different pressures, and also at different speeds Linder the same pressure. By this means, therefore, the motor is adapted for general use, and does not require to be specially constructed or proportioned for the particular Work and pressure of Water-supply under which it is to be used.

Having thus described my invention, I claiml. In a duid-engine, the combination with the main cylinder and its piston, of main and auxiliary supply-ports, a main valve controlling the port-area of the main supply-port and connected with and actuated by the main piston, a piston-valve controlling the direction of the mainand the auxiliary-supply, an auxiliary valve, means connected with the main piston for controlling the movements of said auxiliary valve, and piston-valve-controlling passage-ways leading from the auxiliary supply-port and passing through the auxiliary valve and alternately in communication with opposite ends of the piston-valve in accordance with the movements of said auxiliary valve, substantially as described.

2. In a duid-engine, the combination with the main cylinder and its piston, of a main supply-port for said cylinder, a progressivelyopening and -closing valve connected with and actuated by the main piston and controlling the main supply-port and having its maximum port-area at the middle of each stroke, two auxiliary supply-ports, a piston-valve controlling the direction of the main supply and of the rst auxiliary supply, an auxiliary valve, means connected with the main piston for controlling the movements of said auxiliary Valve, and piston-valve-controlling passage-Ways leading from the second auxiliary supply-port and passing through the auxiliary valve and alternately in communication with opposite ends of the piston-valve in accordance With the movements of the auxiliary valve, substantially as described.

3. In a fluid-engine, the combination with the main cylinder and its piston, of a main supply-port, an auxiliary supply-port, a main valve controlling the port-area of the main supply-port and connected with and actuated by the main piston, a piston-valve controlling the direction of the auxiliary supply, an auxiliary valve, means connected with the main piston for controlling the movement of said auxiliary valve, and piston-valve-controlling passage-Ways leading from the auxiliary supply-port and passing through the auxiliary valve and alternately in communication with opposite ends of the piston-valve in accordance with the movements of the auxiliary'valve, substantially as described.

4. In a duid-engine, the combination with the main cylinder and its piston, of main and auxiliary supplyand exhaust-ports, a pistonvalve controlling the direction of the mainand the auxiliary-supply and controlling also the main exhaust, an auxiliary valve, means connected with the main piston for controlling the movements of said auxiliary valve, piston-valve -controlling passage-Ways leading from the main supply-port and passing through the auxiliary valve and alternately in communication With opposite ends of the piston-valve in accordance with the movements of said auxiliary valve, auxiliary exhaust passages leading from each end of the piston-valve and alternately having communication with a passage-Way extending around the auxiliary valve, a passage-Way extending around the piston-valve and in constant communication With the main exhausts, and a channel connecting said passage-Ways of the auxiliary and piston valves, substantially as described.

5. In a duid-engine, the combination with the main cylinder and its piston, of a main supply-port and auxiliary supply-ports, a p iston-valve controlling the direction of the main-supply and of the first auxiliary-supply, an auxiliary valve, means connected With the main piston for controlling the movements of said auxiliary valve, and piston-valve-controlling passage-Ways leading from the second auxiliary supply-port and passing through the auxiliary valve and alternately in communication with opposite ends of the pistonvalve in accordance with the movements of the auxiliary valve, substantially as described. t

6. In a fluid-engine, the combination With the main cylinder and its piston, of a main supply-port and auxiliary supply-ports, a pistonvalve controlling the direction ot' the main-supply and ot' the first auxiliary-supply and controlling also the main exhaust, an auxiliary valve, means connected with the main piston for controlling the movements of said auxiliary valve, piston-valve-controlling IOQ passage-ways leading from the second auxiliary supply-port and passing through the auxiliary valve and alternatelyin communication with epposite ends of the piston-valve 5 in accordance with the movements of said auxiliary valve, auxiliary exhaust passages leading from each end of the pistonwalve and alternately having communication with a passageway extending around the auxiliary valve, a passage-way extending around the u piston-valve and in constant communication with :the main exhaust, and a channel counecting said passageways of the auxiliary and piston valves, substantially as described.

, IRA H. SPENCER.

Witnesses: f v

FRED. J. DOLE, ROBT. V. RUDDELL. 

